This invention relates to a foldable multi-purpose cart. More particularly, this invention relates to a foldable cart which is particularly useful for carting sundries, such as beach chairs, blankets, freezer chests and the like onto a beach, which is also useful for other carting purposes and which, in some instances, may be suitable for conversion into a lounging chair particularly suitable for the beach.
Various foldable and collapsible carts, some particularly intended for use on a beach and some intended for conversion to other uses, such as a lounge chair, have been proposed in the prior art. As exemplary of these, there may be mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,993 (Mazzarelli et al.), 3,305,243 (Manfredi et al.), 2,840,142 (Haug), 2,967,058 (Hoffman), 3,860,254 (Wegener), 2,789,829 (Parker), 3,222,100 (Lindzy), and 3,197,223 (Dickerson et al.).
The Mazzarelli et al. construction is disadvantageous and distinguishable from the hereinafter described construction of the present invention for a number of reasons, including the fact that the person using the cart must support some of the load since only one of the frames is provided with a wheel, and the wheel would interfere with the legs of the person attempting to use the device as a lounging chair. In Hoffmann, too, the user must support part of the load because a single wheel only at one end is provided. Moreover, when one attempts to use this device as a chair, it is apparent that one's legs are not supported by this construction and that one is, in essence, sitting in the sand. Since Wegener's foldable packer also employs a single wheel, the user, particularly when there is only a single user, rather than two, must help support the load. The same comment applies to the Parker construction, in which only a single pair of wheels is provided and which construction, moreover, is not adapted for conversion to a chair. The Lindzy personnel or game carrier again suffers from the disadvantage of having only a single pair of wheels, requiring the user to support a part of the load. It is not convertible to a lounging chair and, moreover, appears to be exceedingly complicated in construction. The Manfredi cart is of tricycle construction, which would probably not be of adequate stability for use on a sandy beach. Moreover, the Manfredi cart is not convertible to a lounge chair. Haug's beach cart is convertible to a lounge chair. As a beach cart, however, it is very dissimilar from the cart of the present invention, being quite similar to a standard shopping cart, with respect to which the user supports a substantial portion of the load when pulling the cart. The Dickerson cart is another tricycle arrangement and, consequently, probably not of adequate stability for a sandy beach surface. Moreover, the cart will not convert to a lounge chair. Finally, it should be noted that the aforementioned distinctions between the present invention and the prior art are not necessarily a comprehensive listing and other significant distinctions between the present invention and the prior art will be apparent to any observer by a simple side by side comparison.
It is an object of the invention to provide a foldable, multi-purpose cart which is particularly useful for carting sundries, such as beach chairs, blankets, freezer chests and the like onto a beach, which is also useful for other carting purposes and which, in some instances, may be suitable for conversion into a lounging chair particularly suitable for the beach and which, moreover, does not have the disadvantages characteristic of prior art foldable, multi-purpose carts. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description thereof.